INSIGHT

Not that there’s anything wrong with spending your entire winter sitting as close to the fire as you can, reading books, or binge-watching your favorite shows. But if, at some point this winter, you decide you would like to take a different tack to surviving this longest of New England seasons, you’re in luck.

The old year is over, the new one has just begun. That means we’re all making resolutions to eat less and exercise more.

For many of us, summer in the Upper Valley is epitomized by an evening spent sipping $3 margaritas on the back patio of Molly’s in Hanover, New Hampshire. But now that the snow is piling up and patios all over the area are closed for the season, what special libations in warm, cozy places can we turn to during the winter?

The holidays are upon us. As we count our blessings and spread good cheer among family, friends, and co-workers, we may also ask ourselves how we can extend the spirit of the season to others in our community. 

Whoa! Loosen your belts, folks. We decided to explore places in the Upper Valley where you can stop in for a sweet treat now and again, and the results were delightfully overwhelming.

In this era of Airbnb and VRBO, the prospect of owning a second home that you rent out for at least part of the year seems more doable than ever.

It’s that time of year, folks. The early heat wave made you feel as if summer would never end, but even now, you notice the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler.

When the hot and humid days of July and August set in, is there anything more welcome than a refreshing swim?  And with bodies of fresh water dotting the landscape throughout the Monadnock region, it might seem a simple thing to find one to jump into at the end of a long, hot day.

Does anything symbolize spring in the Upper Valley better than a scattering of daffodils pushing up from the thawed-out ground only to be met with a covering of snow the next day? You feel sorry for what they’re going through, but then your spirits revive, because you know they’ll make it!

The hills come alive with music in the Upper Valley as soon as it’s warm enough to play an instrument outside without mittens and ear muffs.